"What?????? What the hell???"
November 9, 2023 12:42 PM Subscribe
TLDR: Pulling off an advanced scam on Wikipedia and got blocked, made a new account and spent five years of pretending to be an indie singer, emotionally traumatizing the person who revealed their fake(!) identity, disappeared off the face of the earth. [X thread from depthsofwikipedia; nitter thread; wikisignpost summary: Admin bewilderingly unmasks self as sockpuppet of other admin who was extremely banned in 2015]
I'm reminded of the reaction of my Silent Generation Mom when I, a Generation Xer, accidentally shorted out the electricity in the house after a science "experiment."
"Don't you have anything better to do? GO OUTSIDE!!!"
Words of wisdom, that...
posted by jonp72 at 1:49 PM on November 9, 2023 [9 favorites]
"Don't you have anything better to do? GO OUTSIDE!!!"
Words of wisdom, that...
posted by jonp72 at 1:49 PM on November 9, 2023 [9 favorites]
Lourdes tried to keep her identity under wraps (not unusual for Wikipedia editors). It was kind of an open secret. In general, people tried to respect her privacy
I wouldn't call this a failure. Anonymity makes communities vulnerable, but so does forced identity.
posted by rebent at 2:17 PM on November 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
I wouldn't call this a failure. Anonymity makes communities vulnerable, but so does forced identity.
posted by rebent at 2:17 PM on November 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
I wouldn't call this a failure. Anonymity makes communities vulnerable, but so does forced identity.
As long as they were an editor, that's fine. The problem is that the individual saught power and authority as an admin. It's not unreasonable for the standards to be higher when someone seeks such.
posted by NoxAeternum at 2:38 PM on November 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
As long as they were an editor, that's fine. The problem is that the individual saught power and authority as an admin. It's not unreasonable for the standards to be higher when someone seeks such.
posted by NoxAeternum at 2:38 PM on November 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
At one point, another editor called Bettlebrox discovered — and publicly revealed — that Lourdes was the singer Lourdes Hernandez Gonzalez. She was LIVID that her identify had been disclosed. She never forgave Bettlebrox.
Tell me you’ve never read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy without telling me.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 3:39 PM on November 9, 2023 [7 favorites]
Tell me you’ve never read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy without telling me.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 3:39 PM on November 9, 2023 [7 favorites]
It’s a typo as noted in the OP. Should be Beeblebrox.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 3:57 PM on November 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 3:57 PM on November 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Let me see if I understand the correctly. Someone rose to a position of some import on Wikipedia while hinting to be a indie musician from Spain. The got upset when their claimed celebrity status became more generally known and attacked anyone talking about it. When they were banned it was discovered that they had sock puppets and some of those accounts had been part of some wikipedia scam/spam campaign. They secretly returned after being banned and rose again to a level of prominence / and administrative power on the site. Then they were outed, banned and had a meltdown n and admitted they were just some guy in India. Wow.
posted by interogative mood at 6:35 PM on November 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by interogative mood at 6:35 PM on November 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
It's very Burn After Reading meets Wikipedia.
posted by NoxAeternum at 8:42 PM on November 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by NoxAeternum at 8:42 PM on November 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
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posted by NoxAeternum at 12:49 PM on November 9, 2023 [3 favorites]